This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
The bell peppers, carrots and tomatoes were fresh from the garden; still warm from the sun. I scraped the dirt from those vibrant little carrots myself. I posted stuffed bell peppers a couple years ago using a mix of ground turkey and pork.
These are the beef version. Beef stuffed bell peppers are a meal in themselves; a classic Russian and Ukrainian dish. Enjoy!
Ingredients for Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers:
10-12 medium bell peppers (any color)
2 lbs ground beef (I used ground chuck)
2 1/2 cups cooked white rice
2 whole eggs, minus the shell of course (two yolks work well too if the whites don’t agree with you).
1 tsp salt
3 medium carrots, peeled and grated
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes (1 large tomato or 2 small)
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and pressed
Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped (1 tbsp dried parsley would work as well)
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt plus 2 Tbsp vinegar for boiling water
Ingredients for the Sauce:
2 medium carrots, grated
1 Tbsp mrs dash, or your favorite seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 heaping tbsp sour cream
2 cups freshly chopped tomatoes or 1 cup marinara
2 cups reserved water from bell peppers
Prepping the peppers:
1. Cut the tops off each pepper and remove the junk from the inside with your hands.
2. Fill a large soup pot 2/3 with water and bring to a boil. Add 2 Tbsp vinegar and 1 tsp salt.
3. Place all of the peppers and their lids in the pot. Add more water if needed to cover the peppers. Cover and cook 3 minutes, then turn off the stove and let the peppers sit in hit water while you prep the rest of the ingredients (about 30-40 minutes). Reserve 2 cups of water from the pot.
The Meat Mix:
1. In a large skillet, heat 4 Tbsp oil over medium/high heat. Add 3 grated carrots, 1 chopped onion, 2 cups chopped tomato and season with parsley, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Saute until soft. Press 2 cloves of garlic into the skillet and saute another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. In a large bowl (I use my KitchenAid with paddle attachment for this) mix: 2 lbs ground beef, 2 1/2 cups cooked white rice, 2 whole eggs and 1 tsp salt. Mix in the sauteed carrot mix until well combined.
4. Loosely stuff the peppers with the beef mix. Fill them but don’t pack the mixture in. Arrange them in a dutch oven or a large soup pot with tight fitting lid.
The sauce for the Beef stuffed bell peppers:
1. In a large skillet, saute 2 grated carrots, 2 cups freshly chopped tomatoes (or 1 cup marinara). Stir in 1 Tbsp Mrs. Dash, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar and a heaping Tbsp of sour cream. Add 2 cups water and stir to blend.
2. Pour the sauce over the stuffed peppers and cover peppers with their lids.
Two Ways to Cook beef stuffed bell peppers:
1. If using the lidded soup pot, bring to a light boil, then cover and simmer 40 minutes over medium heat.
2. If using a dutch oven (recommended method), cover with lid and bake at 450 ˚ F for 20-25 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 ˚ F and bake 1 hour.
Serve with a generous dollop of sour cream.
Notes: To reheat leftovers, cut the pepper in half and spoon the sauce over each half.
Also, if you have leftover meat mix, saute up some meatballs.
Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers
Ingredients
Ingredients for Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers:
- 10-12 medium bell peppers, any color
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- 2 1/2 cups cooked white rice
- 2 whole eggs, minus the shell
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and grated
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cups fresh chopped tomatoes, 1 large tomato or 2 small
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and pressed
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (1 tbsp dried parsley would work as well)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt , plus 2 tbsp vinegar for boiling water
Instructions
- Cut the tops off each pepper and remove the seeds from the inside with your hands.
- Fill a large soup pot 2/3 with water and bring to a boil. Add 2 Tbsp vinegar and 1 tsp salt.
- Place all of the peppers and their lids in the pot. Add more water if needed to cover the peppers. Cover and cook 3 minutes, then turn off the stove and let the peppers sit while you prep the rest of the ingredients (about 30-40 minutes). Reserve 2 cups of water from the pot.
The Meat Mix:
- In a large skillet, heat 4 tbsp oil over medium/high heat.
- Add 3 grated carrots, 1 chopped onion, 2 cups chopped tomato and season with parsley, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Saute until soft. Press 2 cloves of garlic into the skillet and saute another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid with paddle attachment for this) mix: 2 lbs ground beef, 2 1/2 cups cooked white rice, 2 whole eggs and 1 tsp salt. Mix in the sauteed carrot mix until well combined.
- Loosely stuff the peppers with the beef mix. Fill them but don't pack the mixture in. Arrange them in a dutch oven or a large soup pot with tight fitting lid.
The sauce:
- In a large skillet, saute 2 grated carrots, 2 cups freshly chopped tomatoes (or 1 cup marinara). Stir in 1 Tbsp Mrs. Dash, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp sugar and a heaping tbsp of sour cream. Add 2 cups water and stir to blend.
- Pour the sauce over the stuffed peppers and cover peppers with lids.
Two Ways to Cook these:
- If using the lidded soup pot, bring to a light boil, then cover and simmer 40 minutes over medium heat.
- If using a dutch oven (recommended method), cover with lid and bake at 450°F for 20-25 minutes, then reduce heat to 350˚ F and bake 1 hour.
Serve with a generous dollop of sour cream.
Nutrition Per Serving
I found an easy way to clean out the bell peppers. After cutting off the tops, use your strawberry corer to skim off the ribs inside. Super quick and streamlined! I made a double batch for all the hungry folk here and due to a volunteer plant that popped up with a plethora of peppers. Instead of meatballs, I used the extra filling to make two mini meatloafs with your fabulous meatloaf topping sauce! Now I’m eagerly awaiting the timer to devour this yumminess.
Thank you for the tip, Deb! I hope you love the recipe!
It was fabulous! So delicious and plenty for leftovers on those cold days ahead. Thank you for making our days full of scrumptious meals Natasha!
Hello! The link for the nutrition label does not work. Could you post it please? Thank you!
Hi Melanie, thanks for your suggestion! We haven’t really added the Nutrition label for all of our old recipes but we’ll take note of this one so we can update it.
My roommate used to make stuffed peppers just like these about 20 years ago. She was from Russia. This recipe took me back in time. So comforting and delicious!
Aw! Thanks so great to hear. I’m glad you found this recipe.
Hi, Natasha!
Would you be willing to make a video for this recipe? I’ve made stuffed bell peppers before!
Thank you so much for that suggestion, Connie!
I’ve made these stuffed peppers a number of times (modifying this recipe to use six, large red bell peppers — rather than the 10-12 medium pepper as called for in the recipe). It turns out perfect every time. The sauce is particularly tasty and perfectly completes the dish.
Hey Gordon, thank you for sharing that with us. God to kno that you have made this recipe a lot of times already and have always loved it!
Hi Natasha
Would this recipe still work if I substitute the white rice for Quinoa or brown rice? Just trying to eat healthier.
Hi Marisa, that should work with cooked quinoa or brown rice.
So flavorful, healthy and delicious! Sauce is the best part! I think the key is to use marinara (some brands of marinara are too acidic, I used a sweet and thick marinara and it was perfect in this recipe). I halved the recipe and it yieled 4 large peppers. I didn’t have a big enough pot so this was perfect for 2 people. My couple of modifications: to speed things up I used minute rice, made about 3 cups. I added beef to the sautéed vegetables and fully cooked it. Didn’t want to risk it not cooking thoroughly. I used remaining rice as a side dish and served it with the delicious sauce. Hope this helps someone. Thank you for another great recipe Natasha!
Thank you for sharing, Al! I’m glad you loved the recipe.